Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-11-30
Correspondence of the Yorkville Enquirer.
LETTER FROM COLUMBIA.

COLUMBIA, November 2S.-lt IS TOO
early in the session to give the readers Sf
the ENQUIRER much legislative newS.
The members of the General Assembly
seem to be disposed to 60 at once to the
work before them, and for the first time In
the history Of the State have been holding
night sessions from the beginning. This
they found necessary from the unusually
large amount of unfinished business that
went over from last session.
Our people will probably remember that
at the last session Il bill was introduced
providing for the refunding the taxes COLI
iected upon cotton in York county upon
the assessment of January, 1886. This bill
passed the Senate last session but the House
of Representatives failed to reach it, and
it came up this session as unfinished bust
ness. The House, by a vote of g. to 40, re-
iected the bill. TO refund this tax was
nothing more than simple justice to our
county, and it's defeat is ineXplicable to
me upon any grounds of reason or justice.
Our delegation in the House made a hard
fight for the measure, andno want of care
or efficiency is to be ascribed to them in
the matter. The Senate to-day passed to
a third reading a bill providing that the
returns of the following agricultural pro-
ducts, to-Wit, corn, cotton, wheat, oats,
rice and peas made in January shall be the
amount actually on hand Of August 1st
of the year preceding the date of said re-
turn, but this shall apply only to such of
said agricultural products as are actually
in the hands of the producer. If this bill
passes the House, and / feel assured it will,
it will relieve our farmers of what every
body recognizes as an injustice-that is,
the taxing of cotton on hand in January,
when, as in almost every case, the farmers
have to pay out every dollar of the pro-
ceeds of it on their Indebtedness for the
past year.
The effort that is made every session to
repeal the lien law failed by a very decid-
ed vote so did a bill to tax dogs meet the
same fate.
The joint resolution proposing a con-
stitutional amendment abolishing the Of
flee of county school commissioner as a
constitutional office, has passed both
Houses.
A bill has passed the Senate restricting
the rights of railroad companies in acquir-
ing and consolidating with other railroads
without the consent of the Railroad Com
mission, or by an act Of the Legislature.
This is a step in the right direction, and
if this had been the law twenty years ago
our State would not now be in the merci-
less grip of the Richmond and Danville
system.
The York delegation have decided to
ask for a special levy of half a mill to pay
past Indebtedness and authorize the county
commissioners to borrow a sufficient sum
to pay off this debt until the tax is collect
ed.
. The following bills of local interest have
been introduced: By Senator Black a bill
to provide for the establishment of a new
school district, to be known as the School
District of Blacks, and the levy of a local
tax therein. A bill to renew and amend
the charter of the town of Blacks. A
feature of this new charter is that it pro-
hibits the town council Of Blacks from
granting any licenses for the sale OF dis
titled spirits and wines; makes it manda-
tory upon the town council to grant IL
censes to any reputable persons to sell
lager beer and other matt liquors only.
But such license shall not be granted for a